BY DAVID MAFABI
KAMPALA
Households and businesses in the West Nile region have every reason to smile as they will this time access clean energy products and information in their City
This is all after the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD) and partners decided to schedule this year’s Clean Energy fair to Arua City between 28 September and 1 October 2022- upcoming week-long Clean Energy
The theme for the Fair to be held at the Market Grounds in Arua City is “Clean Energy Solutions for a Better Life”, and the main objective is to increase awareness and uptake of renewable energy technologies.
According to the ministry of energy and mineral Development, the 2022 Clean Energy Fair, the second after one in Gulu in 2019, is part of the bigger campaign to increase the uptake of renewable energy technologies in Northern Uganda and the fast-growing West Nile market.
The activity is jointly organised by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD), Uganda National Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Alliance (UNREEEA) under the GIZ- Promotion of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Programme (PREEEP), and Energising Development (EnDev) Uganda.
Eng. Simon Kalanzi, Commissioner, Energy Efficiency and Conservation Department at MEMD, called upon residents to save money and preserve the environment by switching to solar products, improved cookstoves, and other energy-efficient products.
“In trying to tackle the challenge of low electrification levels in the West Nile region while staying mindful of environmental preservation, alternative approaches to support rural transformation and to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were sought, and development partners were brought on board,” Eng. Kalanzi said, citing the Fair in Arua as an avenue for the Ministry to further this cause.
A total of over fifty companies dealing in renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies will exhibit to the over 1,000 people expected to turn up daily during the activity week.
Mr Solomon Muyita, the Principal Communications & PR Specialist at the Ministry of Energy & Mineral Development said the organisers of the Arua Energy Fair intend to further the conversation on effective, sustainable, and clean energy, showcase the various affordable renewable energy options to the people of West Nile and Northern Uganda and offer a platform for people at the grassroots to pick key lessons for the betterment of their lives.
The Promotion of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Program [PREEEP] is targeting consumer behaviour change and is implemented on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
PREEEP also aims to improve the framework conditions for increased access to clean energy in rural and Peri-urban areas with the objective of supporting the process of increasing the amount of electricity from renewable sources and improving its accessibility as well as energy efficiency.
The project supports policy improvement, market development, skills development, budget planning, monitoring, and evaluation for improved access to renewable energy (RE) and energy efficient (EE) technologies.
GIZ Energising Development (EnDev) Uganda, in close cooperation with MEMD, also facilitates market-based access to modern energy technologies and services for households, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and social institutions. Ends
